FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Billionaire investor George Soros warns a class war, including riots in the streets, is coming to the United States.
Soros tells Newsweek the Occupy Wall Street movement will grow and turn violent. He says the response to the unrest could become an "excuse for cracking down and using strong-arm tactics to maintain law and order."
If things go far enough, Soros suggests it could bring about a repressive political system.
This may be a stark view of where the United States is headed, but the idea of class conflict is growing these days.
When President Obama pushed for higher taxes on the wealthy as part of his plan to cut the deficit last fall, he insisted the tax hikes were not "class warfare." But not everyone agrees.
And you can bet that same income inequality will be a theme in President Obama's State of the Union address Tuesday night. The president is set to talk about a government that should ensure "a fair shake for all."
Obama has said the system is rigged against the nation's middle class and that he wants to work toward an America where "everyone engages in fair play, everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share."
And there's no doubt Americans are feeling this clash between the rich and the poor:
A recent poll shows a large majority of Americans see class warfare, with two-thirds saying they think there are "very strong" or "strong" class conflicts.
But this is the scary part. The clash between rich and poor now ranks as the country's greatest social conflict, topping conflicts between immigrants and native-born Americans or conflicts between blacks and whites.
Here’s my question to you: How concerned are you about class warfare in this country?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Richard:
Worried? You bet. A divisiveness that feels like the '60s civil and racial underpinnings is a silent undertone, not spoken aloud in polite circles, but very much out there. I for one have been waiting and fearful for the clash that will take to the streets, something on the order of the Occupy movement-but a whole lot worse.
Tom:
No civilization in recorded history has ever survived the type of centralization of power and wealth we now have in this country. If we don't start paying attention to this, I'm afraid pitchforks could be replaced by weapons far more deadly. Soros is right.
Keith:
What is old becomes exaggerated again. Class warfare appears to be a beefed up term for recognizing the inequities that exist in our country. I don’t believe most Americans begrudge those who are wealthy or those who work within legal parameters to keep their wealth. Thus, we don’t have class warfare concerns; we have concerns related to who advocates for the average American.
D. in Texas:
Jack, It's been obvious for a long time. Why do you think there's so many weapons and ammunition sold lately?
Sara:
There is a fine line between hard-working middle class citizens and people who freeload off state and federal social service programs.
Herman:
Jack, My hope is that the class warfare card will sink like Titanic. I think this is truly liberal rhetoric that is destructive to the values of all Americans. We all should have an equal opportunity to be successful. Why take the incentive to create wealth out of the equation? No one should be targeting success or the opportunity to be successful in America.
Jon:
It's about time.... Bring it on.